Mandrel for coiling wire fabric



Aug. 28, 1962 c. P. PETTIGREW MANDREL FOR COILING WIRE FABRIC 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR CHARLES P. PETT/GREW a, g wfi 91% Attorney Filed April 27, 1960 Aug. 28, 1962 c. P. PETTIGREW MANDREL FOR COILING WIRE FABRIC 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 27, 1960 INVENTOR CHARLES P. PETT/GREW 3,051,407 Patented Aug. 28, 1962 fire 3,051,407 MANDREL FOR COILING WIRE EABRIQ Charles P. Pettigrew, Elwood, IIL, assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 27, wet), Ser. No. 25,096 2 Claims. (Cl. 242-72) The present invention relates generally to apparatus for coiling material and more particularly to an improved mandrel especially suitable for coiling wire fabric such as concrete reinforcing wire fabric.

Prior to my invention, the coiling mechanisms of wire fabric manufacturing machines usually included a mandrel comprised of a pair of elongated semi-cylindrical members, commonly termed bundle poles, mounted in rotatable heads disposed on opposite sides of the discharge end of the machine. (One example of such a fabric manufacturing machine is shown in Southwick Patent No. 1,367,212.) The bundle poles were mounted with their flat diametral faces in spaced parallel relation,

by means of brackets which were affixed to each end of the bundle poles. The brackets were designed to fit in the heads of the coiling mechanism and be secured therein by means of a removable locking pin.

In the coiling operation, approximately 15 to 18 inches of the leading end of the wire fabric issuing from the machine was inserted into the slot formed by the space between the bundle poles and frictionally gripped therein upon rotation of the coiling mechanism. After the desired amount of fabric has been wound upon the mandrel,

the coiling mechanism was stopped and the locking pins were removed from the brackets and heads. Each of the heads of the coiling mechanism is provided with a flange extending approximately half way around its periphery which aids in supporting the brackets in the heads.

To remove the mandrel and the coil of wire fabric wound thereon from the heads, it was necessary to rotate the heads until the peripheral flanges of the heads were in upper position. The coil of fabric together with the bundle poles contained in the core thereof would then drop free of the heads onto the discharge platform of the machine. The bundle poles were then withdrawn manually from the core of the coil, replaced in the heads and locked in position ready to receive the leading end of the next coil of fabric to be wound thereon.

Although the coiling arrangement just described has been used for many years, present day users of wire fabric found the coil formed by such a coiling arrangement objectionable due to the bent end of the inner conof a wire fabric machine having the mandrel of the invention installed therein;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the plane of line II-II of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of FIGURE 2 with a portion of the bracket end of the mandrel of the invention added;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of one of the mandrel members;

FIGURE 5 is an end view taken along the plane of line V--V of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a side view taken along the plane of line VI-VI of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of the other mandrel member of the invention;

FIGURE 8 is an end view taken along the plane of line VIII-VIII of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a side view taken along the plane of line IX--IX of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the plane of line XX of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 11 is a side view of a hook of the invention;

FIGURE 12 is a top plan view of FIGURE 11;

FIGURE 13 is an end view of FIGURE 11; and

FIGURE 14 is an end View showing a coil of wire fabric wound around the mandrel of the invention.

Reference numerals 2 and 4 designate the opposed sid'e frames at the discharge end of a wire fabric manufacturing machine. The coiling mechanism of the machine consists of two stub shafts 6 and 8 rotatably journaled in bearings It) and 12 in the extreme end portions of the side frames 2 and 4, respectively. Each stub shaft carries a head 14 the heads being disposed in a common horizontal plane opposite each other. Each of the heads 14 is provided with an inwardly projecting central flange 16, an inwardly projecting peripheral flange 18 which extends around approximately half of the circumference of the head, and two inwardly projecting angular shoulder sections 20. The angular shoulder sections 20 are spaced from the central flange 16 so as to form slots 22 between the central flange and each of the angular shoulder sections 29. The above mentioned flanges are described as projecting inwardly because the heads 1.4 are mounted on opposite sides of the machine 5 and have their flanged portions facing each other.

volution of the coil that was formed during the coiling operation. Many users found it detrimental to their operations because the presence of the bent end precluded mounting the coil on a plain cylindrical mandrel for unwinding purposes. It was impossible to cut the bent end out of the core of the coil because of the width of the fabric, which usually extends to approximately 9 feet, and also because of the difficulty in cutting through the hard drawn wires making up the fabric. Even if the coil was unrolled on a flat surface without being mounted on a mandrel it was necessary to cut off and scrap the bent end because the heavy hard drawn wire of which the majority of wire fabrics were made could not be successfully bent back into the plane of the fabric.

It is, accordingly, the primary object of my invention to provide a mandrel for coiling wire fabric into a The features thus far described are conventional and are not claimed as my invention the details of which will now be described.

The mandrel portion of the coiling mechanism consists of a pair of semi-cylindrical elongated sectors 24 and 26 having plane diametral surfaces 24- and 26' and arcuate surfaces 24" and 26", respectively. Sectors 24 and 26 are preferably made of sheet metal and reinforced at spaced intervals along their length with stiffener plates 28 which may be perforated to lessen the weight of the sectors.

Sector 26 is truncated on one side as at 30 for a purpose which will become more apparent hereinafter. A series of hooks 32 are spaced along the opposite side of the sector 26 adjacent its diametral surface. A bracket 34 is affixed to each end of the sectors which is adapted to fit into the heads 14- for mounting the sectors in position. Each of the brackets 34 is made up of two angle members welded together back to back to form substantially a T-shape element, as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6. When sectors 24 and 26 are mounted in the heads 14, the leg portions 36 of the brackets 34 are inserted in the slots 22 and the sectors 24 and 26 are dropped into place with the welded-together leg portions 38 resting on the shoulders 20 of the heads 14. The brackets 34 are then locked into position in the heads by inserting a key 40 in a hole 42 in the central flange 16 of each head.

Each key 40 is, in turn, secured in position by means of a spring steel cotter pin 44 which is inserted in a hole 46 which extends transversely through the key 40.

In operation the cross wire C of the leading end of a wire fabric W is engaged by the hooks 32 and the stub shaft 8 is driven by conventional gearing 48, with which shaft 8 is connected, to rotate heads 14. During the rotation of the heads the hooks 32 hold and set the leading end of the fabric against the cylindrical surface of the mandrel formed by the sectors 24 and 26. After the desired length or amount of wire fabric has been accumulated upon the mandrel, rotation of the heads is stopped in a position wherein the keys 40 are in a horizontal plane in the top portions of the heads and the cot ter pins 44 are removed from the keys 40 so that the keys can be withdrawn from the central flanges of the heads. After the keys have been thus withdrawn, the heads are turned approximately 180 so that the brackets fall free of the heads and the coil with the sectors 24 and 26 contained therein drops to the discharge floor of the machine. Then sector 24 is withdrawn from the core of the coil and sector 26 is rotated in clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 14, to free the hooks from the cross wire C. After the books have cleared the cross wire the sector 26' is moved laterally to clear the hooks from the fabric and permit easy withdrawal of sector 26 from the core of the coil. The truncated side of sector 26 provides this sector with a shorter diametral surface than that of sector 24 so that sector 26 can be rotated in the core of the coil to effect complete disengagement from the fabric and permit easy withdrawal of the sector transversely of the coil after sector 24 has been removed.

Although I have shown the hooks 32 equi-spaced along the length of the sector member 26 it will be noted that such spacing may be varied so as to accommodate various sizes of wire fabric.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A mandrel for coiling wire fabric comprising a pair of sectors generally semi-cylindrical in shape each comprising a plane diametral surface and an arcuate surface, said sectors being adapted to be secured together with their diametral surfaces adjacent each other, means for releasably supporting said sectors and securing said sectors together with their diametral surfaces adjacent each other, one of said sectors being truncated on one side and having a series of fixed hooks spaced along the opposite side, whereby, after a coil of wire fabric has been Wound on said mandrel, the other of said sectors may be removed longitudinally from the coil and said one of said sectors may thereupon be rotated to disengage the hooks from the innermost turn of the coil and then be removed transversely of the coil.

2. A mandrel for coiling wire fabric comprising a pair of sectors generally semi-cylindrical in shape each comprising a plane diametral surface and an arcuate surface, said sectors being adapted to be secured together with their diametral surfaces adjacent each other, means for releasably supporting said sectors. and securing said sectors together with their diametral surfaces adjacent each other, one of said sectors having a series of fixed hooks References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Sprecher Oct. 28, 1913 Hering Feb. 1, 194-4 OTHER REFERENCES Ser. No. 406,443, 'Obolensky (A.P.C.), published May 25, 1943. 

